Coimbatore: At least 26 people, five of them college students, were arrested and drugs and deadly weapons were seized by the rural police on Sunday as they carried out surprise raids at the rental rooms and houses occupied by bachelors and students in their jurisdiction.The raids were carried out at 120 locations as part of making Coimbatore a drug-free district. More than 300 police personnel were involved in the raids that began in the early hours of the day. According to an official source, district superintendent of police Dr K Karthikeyan had earlier formed 51 special teams under the supervision of two deputy superintendents of police to carry out the raids, which focused on private hostels and rental houses occupied by college students and bachelors in the jurisdiction of the K G Chavadi, Chettipalayam and Madukkarai police stations. During the searches, police seized 10.35g of methamphetamine, 4kg of ganja, 2kg of ganja chocolates, 50ml of ganja oil, 22 two-wheelers without proper documents, and weapons like knives and machetes. “Police arrested 26 people, including five college students, for possession of drugs. Cases have been registered against them and further probe is under way,” the source said. Vehicle checks were conducted in the Chettipalayam police limits as well, leading to the arrest of four drug peddlers. In one of the incidents two youths – R Gokul, 20, of Dindigul district, and R Yogeshwaran, 19, student of a private college at Kinathukkadavu – were arrested while transporting 1.5kg ganja and 35 ganja chocolates on a two-wheeler near Othakkalmandapam. In another incident, police searched a rental house at Vinayaga Garden near Malumichampatty based on a specific tip that the occupants were involved in drug peddling. “We seized methamphetamine and ganja from the house and arrested the occupants – V Athithya, 22, of Sivagnga district, and R Boobalan, 19 an engineering student from Thanjavur – who were later lodged in jail under judicial custody,” a police officer said. The district superintendent of police said the rural police had been taking several measures to curb drug use in the district. “Drug peddlers often target college students and use rental rooms and houses to run their operations. We are monitoring such locations and conducting frequent raids. Stringent action is being taken against drug peddlers,” he said and urged the public to alert police about the sale of drugs, if they know of any, to help ensure a drug-free society.
